The Covid Canvas

The Covid Canvas: Artist Profiles and Interviews of the Pandemic Era is a collection of art images created by nationally and internationally recognized artists on the autism spectrum. (Hardcover, 200 pages, 70 full-size color images.) Included are brief biographical histories of each artist and interviews with the artist and/or a family member discussing the effects that the Covid-19 pandemic and the imposed restrictions such as face-mask wearing and isolation; have had on the individual artist's creative flow.

Covid-19 was initially reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the Covid-19 outbreak a global health emergency and on March 11, 2020 a global pandemic. The Covid Canvas provides a brief overview of the impact of this pandemic on employment, business closures, illness and death rates across the globe. The focus of the book however is on the specific field of visual arts. The Covid Canvas: Artist Profiles and Interviews of the Pandemic Era depicts the effects of the current Covid-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 on the creative flow of artists with autism. This expose is depicted via a collection of art images created by nationally and internationally recognized artists on the autism spectrum. Included are brief biographical histories of each artist and interviews with the artist and/or a family member. Each artist profile includes a discussion regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the imposed restrictions (such as face-mask wearing and isolation); on the individual artist's social and emotional states, as well as daily living and continued creative flow. The Covid-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), has created many challenges forcing everyone to adopt new mindsets and new ways of working, socializing, and basically existing. The effects of the pandemic on societies have been global. People cannot go to work; they have decreased or no income; they can't pay rent; landlords cannot get paid; children are home; schools are closed; businesses are shut down; hospitals are at full capacity without enough supplies; there are food shortages; medication shortages, etc. The world has gone viral and virtual! Within our own communities and in society at large, lockdowns, protests, riots, racism, business closures, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the existent divisiveness have affected us all. How have these very same challenges affected artists with autism? While some artists are creating art inspired by these social and political challenges, others are creating art in spite of it. Considering the identifying characteristics generally associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) such as "cannot accept changes in routine"; "sensory sensitivities", "likes to be alone", etc.... Have these challenges impacted the artists' ability to create? How have the families been impacted? Whether the challenge for each artist has been described as an autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's syndrome, or perhaps a savant skill, artists share what has lead to their resiliency or rigidity. How has each artist adapted to these new societal norms of social distancing and mask-wearing? The extraordinary artwork in this collection is a display of visual portrayals of canvas artworks that may or may not show a correlated shift in the individual artist's style or technique from pre-covid to the current covid-19 pandemic era.